Pelham's Country Club Giants Defeated the Famed Knickerbocker Club of New York City in 1885

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One of the first sports teams organized by the members of The Country Club that operated in the Town of Pelham during much of the 1880s was the base ball club known as "The Country Club Giants."  The team played a number of games during the first full year of The Country Club's operation and faced some of the same ball clubs during the 1885 season.

Research slowly has revealed much about The Country Club base ball team during the 1880s.  Today's Historic Pelham Blog article documents yet more about the team.

On Wednesday, June 3, 1885, The Country Club base ball team faced one of the most storied 19th century base ball clubs of the region:  The Knickerbockers based in New York City.  

The Knickerbocker Base Ball Club of New York started play in 1842 and developed a formalized set of rules to govern the club and its play in 1845.  Some consider the club to be the first "organized" baseball club created for regular play.

During the 1880s the Knickerbockers became regular visitors to the Polo Field of The Country Club at Pelham where they faced the Pelham nine that came to be known as The Country Club Giants.  The polo grounds of The Country Club at Pelham were located on an area now within the Pelham Bay Golf Course roughly around the greens and portions of the fairways of the 10th and 17th holes of that course.

The Country Club team beat the Knickerbocker Club 37 to 34.  A host of previously-described newspaper reports confirm that the previous season in 1884, The Country Club team played match games against The Knickerbocker Base Ball Club of New York and the Calumet Base Ball Club (often referenced as the "Calumeters").  

The seasons of 1884 and 1885 were important and formative years in the evolving sport of "base ball."  In 1884, all previous restrictions on the delivery by a pitcher were removed including the requirement that the pitcher had to face the hitter before pitching to him and had to deliver a pitch from below the shoulder.  Six called balls signaled by the umpire merited a base on balls for the hitter.  The following year, additional changes occurred.  Chest protectors came into wider use by catchers and umpires.  One portion of the bat could be flat (only one side).  Home plate could be made either of marble or whitened rubber.  

Pelham, it seems, played a role -- however small -- in the evolving sport of baseball in the 19th century.  It is left to us, successors to 19th century Pelhamites, to try to document that role.

"THE WINNING RUN -- 'HOW IS IT UMPIRE?' -- DRAWN BY T. B.

de THULSTRUP," A Colored Engraving Showing Baseball Game

Played on August 6, 1885 Only Weeks After Members of the Country

Club Baseball Team Played the Knickerbockers on the Country Club

Polo Grounds in Pelham.  Source:  Harper's Weekly, Aug. 22, 1885.

NOTE:  Click on Image to Enlarge.

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"The Country Club, at Bartow-on-the-Sound, has daily the appearance of activity, and the members, who are nearly all New-York men are beginning to go out to it.  Sunday is the great day of the week there, and many men prefer to spend the day at the Country Club with their male friends rather than to enjoy all the gayeties which Coney Island affords.  On Wednesday a game of baseball was played on the polo grounds of the club between a nine composed of members of the Knickerbocker Club and one from the Country Club.  The result of the game was the defeat of the Knickerbocker Club players by a score of 34 to 37.  Last Summer the Country Club nine played a match game with the Knickerbockers and Calumeters.  It is more than likely that a series of games will be played this Summer between the Country Club nine and nines formed from the members of the different clubs in this city.  The wives and sisters of members can enjoy the same privileges of the club as members, and on fine mornings the tennis grounds are besieged by lady players.  Miss Leavitt and Mrs. Fellowes Morgan have arranged a tennis tournament for Monday and Tuesday of this week, and a team from the ladies' club of Staten Island will contest for a series of games with the ladies of the Country Club.  A large number of New-Yorkers live during the Summer in Westchester County, and they find the Country Club a source of much pleasure.  On Decoration Day Mrs. Harry A Coster gave a luncheon to 40 ladies, and in the afternoon they played lawn tennis and other games.  The polo matches which are held there are one of the features of the club, and there are stable accommodations for the horses of members."

Source:  [Untitled], N. Y. Times, Jun. 7, 1885, p. 14, col. 3 (NOTE:  Paid subscription required to access via this link).

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I have written more than fifty articles regarding the history of baseball in Pelham and early baseball games played in the Town of Pelham during the 19th century.  Below is a listing, with links, of some of the previous postings on the topic of early baseball in Pelham.

Wed., Feb. 07, 2018:  Nineteenth Century Pelham Baseball Team Was Outsmarted by the New Rochelle Colored Giants Baseball Team.

Fri., Jan. 12, 2018:  More on Pelham's Shamrock Base Ball Club that Played on City Island in the 1880s.

 Mon., Nov. 20, 2017:  More References to Baseball in 19th Century Pelham.

Tue., Aug. 01, 2017:  More on 19th Century Baseball in the Town of Pelham.

Wed., Jul. 12, 2017:  The Nonpareils Base Ball Association of City Island During the 1860s.

Wed., Apr. 19, 2017:  Pelham Manor Club Defeated Gramatan Country Club in Baseball Game in August, 1902.

Mon., Feb. 13, 2017:  Important Information About Early Baseball in Pelham Including a Game Against the Monitors of Brooklyn.

Wed., Jan. 11, 2017:  Baseball Star Paddy Smith of Pelham.

Fri., Sep. 30, 2016:  More on 19th Century Baseball in the Town of Pelham.

Thu., Jul. 21, 2016:  "Base Ball" Match Played at Arcularius Hotel at Pelham Bridge in 1875.

Thu., Feb. 18, 2016:  More on the Storied History of 19th Century Baseball in Pelham.  

Tue., Dec. 15, 2015:  The 1894 Baseball Season in Pelham, New York.

Tue., Sep. 22, 2015:  Two Newly-Discovered 19th Century Accounts of Baseball Played in Pelham.

Thu., Jun. 18, 2015:  More Early References to 19th Century and Early 20th Century Baseball in Pelham.

Mon., Apr. 06, 2015:  Early Baseball Game Played by Pelham Team in 1866.

Mon., Dec. 22, 2014:  Rare 1889 Photograph of Baseball Players Playing on Pelham Field.

Wed., Nov. 26, 2014:  More Early References to Baseball Played in Pelham. 

Thu., Nov. 13, 2014:  Baseball Crowds in Pelham Got Out Of Hand in 1896. 

Fri., Sep. 12, 2014:  Reference to an 1884 Baseball Game Between the Country Club of Pelham and Calumet. 

Thu., Jul. 31, 2014:  Fascinating Account of Baseball Game Played at Pelham Bridge in 1878.

Mon., Jul. 28, 2014:  Additional 19th Century References to Baseball Being Played in Pelham.  

Tue., Apr. 08, 2014:  More 19th Century References to Baseball in the Town of Pelham.

Fri., Mar. 28, 2014:  Earliest Evidence Yet! Baseball Was Played in Pelham Only Months After the Civil War Ended. 

Thu., Mar. 20, 2014:  19th Century Baseball in Pelham - Newly-Discovered References.

Tue., Feb. 16, 2010:  Photograph of Only Known 19th Century Women's Baseball Team in Pelham, New York.

Thu., Jan. 28, 2010:   News About Pelham Manor and Pelhamville in 1895 - Lighting Districts, Gas for the Village, Baseball and More.

Tue., Dec. 15, 2009:  Baseball Games Played by the City Island Beldenites and the City Island Rivals in 1884.  

Mon., Dec. 14, 2009:  Baseball Games Played by the City Island Shamrocks in 1889.  

Fri., Dec. 11, 2009:  Earliest Reference Yet to Baseball Played in Pelham.  

Thu., Dec. 10, 2009:  More 19th Century Baseball and Firefighting References. 

Wed., Dec. 9, 2009:  City Island Shamrocks Base Ball Club Changed its Name to the Minnefords in 1888.

Wed., Nov. 25, 2009:  Even More Early References to Baseball Played in Pelham.

Tue., Nov. 24, 2009:  Yet Another Reference to Early Baseball in Pelham.

Mon., Nov. 23, 2009:  Additional Brief Accounts of Baseball Played in Pelham in the 19th Century.

Fri., Nov. 20, 2009:  More Accounts of Early Baseball Played in Pelham.

Fri., Nov. 13, 2009:  1894 Account of Developments in Pelham Including a Reference to a Baseball Game Played that Year.

Thu., Nov. 12, 2009:  More Early References to Baseball Played in Pelham.

Wed., Sep. 30, 2009:   Score of June 1, 1887 Baseball Game Between the Country Club and The Knickerbocker Club.

Fri., Mar. 20, 2009:   Another Reference to 19th Century Baseball in Pelham.

Tue., Mar. 4, 2008:   Another Brief Reference to 19th Century Baseball in Pelham.

Mon., Nov. 26, 2007:  Box Score of a Baseball Game Played on Travers Island in Pelham Manor in July 1896.

Wed., Nov. 21, 2007:  Baseball on Travers Island During the Summer of 1897.

Fri., Jul. 20, 2007:  Account of Early Baseball in Pelham: Pelham vs. the New York Athletic Club on Travers Island in 1897.

Fri., Nov. 10, 2006: The Location of Another Early Baseball Field in Pelham.

Mon., Oct. 9, 2006:   Reminiscences of Val Miller Shed Light on Late 19th Century Baseball in Pelham and the Early Development of the Village of North Pelham.

Thu., Mar. 23, 2006:  Baseball Fields Opened on the Grounds of the Westchester Country Club in Pelham on April 4, 1884.  

Tue., Jan. 31, 2006:  Another Account of Baseball Played in Pelham in the 1880s Is Uncovered. 

Thu., Oct. 6, 2005:   Does This Photograph Show Members of the "Pelham Manor Junior Base Ball Team"?

Thu., Sep. 15, 2005:  Newspaper Item Published in 1942 Sheds Light on Baseball in 19th Century Pelham.  

Thu., Feb. 10, 2005:  New Discoveries Regarding Baseball in 19th Century Pelham. 

Bell, Blake A., Baseball in Late 19th Century Pelham, The Pelham Weekly, Vol. XIII, No. 17, Apr. 23, 2004, p. 8, col. 2.

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The Pelham Firemen Baseball Team in 1926

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For many years in the early 20th century, firemen in the Village of North Pelham had a baseball team known as the Pelham Firemen (aka the "Smokeaters").  The team was a "semi-pro" team that had a storied history and became a Pelham athletic institution,  Indeed, the team placed a number of ball players including Paddy Smith and Bob Cremins in the Major League and others such as Ed Lohman in what we would call today the Minors. I have written before about the team and some of its members.  See:

Thu., Feb. 15, 2018:  Baseball Battles Between Pelham Firemen and the Ossining All-Stars in 1926.

Mon., Jan. 29, 2018:  Famed Pelham Athlete Bob Cremins Made the Boston Red Sox Team in 1927.

Wed., Jan. 11, 2017:  Baseball Star Paddy Smith of Pelham.

In 1926 and 1927, the Pelham Firemen repeatedly battled a team known as the Ossining All-Stars for bragging rights within Westchester County. The baseball battles between the two teams were known as "old time feuds" and typically involved thrilling, and surprisingly good, baseball entertainment for very large crowds of spectators. The local newspaper, The Pelham Sun, carried lengthy and breathless accounts of the games.

In 1926, the Manager of the team was Abe Zernoski.  The coach was Sergt. J. Taylor.  The team had a "mascot" (a young boy who likely served as a batboy) named Bernard Marvel.  Bob Cremins pitched and played outfield.  Other members of the team included W. "Basche" Smith, Ed Lohman, Robert "Bob" Reilly, W. Cassin, O. Smith, E. Lyon, H. Aurisy, R. Aurisy, A. Halliday, and W. Reilly.  

Near the end of the 1926 season, The Pelham Sun published a summary of the team's performance and a wonderful photograph of the team.  As of mid-August of that season, Bob Cremins was the batting leader with an incredible average of .467.  Bache Smith was hitting .333.  The team's record was 9 wins and 7 losses.  It should come as no surprise that the article also made much of the rivalry between the Pelham club and the Ossining All Stars.  The two teams battled each other for primacy throughout much of the late 1920s.

Both the team photograph and the description of the 1926 season make for interesting reading for students of Pelham history.  Both are included below.

"Back row left to right:  --  A. Zernoski (Mgr.), W. Smith, R. Cremins, R. Reilly,

W. Cassin, E. Lohman, O. Smith, E. Lyon, Sergt. J. Taylor (Coach).  Front

Row:  --  H. Aurisy, H. Smith, R. Aurisy, B. Marvel (Mascot), A. Halliday, W.

Reilly (Captain), J. Flanagan."  Source:  PELHAM FIREMEN'S BASEBALL

TEAM, The Pelham Sun, Aug. 13, 1926, Vol. 17, No. 24, p. 1, cols. 3-5.

NOTE:  Click on Image to Enlarge.

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"Starting the season with what appeared to be just a regular small town team, the Pelham Fire Department nine has worked its way up until now it ranks with the best in Westchester and is regarded as one of the biggest drawing cards in the County.  Wherever they have played, their services have always been in demand for a return game because their style of play is clean.  So far this season, they have won nine and lost seven games.  Three of these losses have gone into extra innings, said games being dropped to the Mt. Kisco Indians, the Ossining All Stars whom they later defeated, and the Yonkers K. of C.

Up to date, the boys have been batting at a .277 clip, which coupled with the good pitching of the hurling staff accounts largely for their success.  Bob Cremins, pitcher and outfielder is leading the sluggers with a percentage of .467.  He has been to bat 30 times and has hit fourteen times.  W. 'Basche' Smith is the second leading batter.  His average to date is .333.  He has been to bat 24 times and has hit 8 times.

Ed Lohman who has undertaken most of the assignments on the mound for the 'smoke-eaters' has proven his worth on all occasions.  Cremins, W. Reilly, and J. Rheinhardt have also distinguished themselves on the mound for the locals.

Arrangements are being made for a three-game series between the Firemen and Ossining All Stars for the semi-pro championship of Westchester.  It took Ossining twelve innings to turn the trick in the first game when they won 4-3.  In the second appearance of the 'smoke-eaters,' they returned with the bacon, beating the All-Stars 2-0.  Pelham has dropped a contest to the Tuckahoe A. C., the same team being defeated by the Ossining aggregation.  Pelham will have a chance to avenge their defeat at the hands of the Tuckahoe nine in two weeks, and this will give the fans a chance for a closer comparison of the two teams.  Fans are eagerly looking forward to this series with the Ossining team as they are certain the locals now have the number of the All Star outfit, and will take them over in the majority of the games."

Source:  PELHAM FIREMEN'S BASEBALL TEAM, The Pelham Sun, Aug. 13, 1926, Vol. 17, No. 24, p. 1, cols. 3-5.

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Baseball Battles Between Pelham Firemen and the Ossining All-Stars in 1926

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Spring, and thus baseball, is just around the corner.  This week Pitchers and Catchers for both the Yankees and the Mets reported for Spring Training.  It is, therefore, time for another story regarding baseball of old in the little Town of Pelham.  

For many years in the early 20th century, firemen in the Village of North Pelham had a baseball team known as the Pelham Firemen (aka the "Smokeaters").  The team had a storied history and became a Pelham athletic institution that placed a number of ball players includiing Paddy Smith and Bob Cremins in the Major League and others such as Ed Lohman in what we would call today the Minors.

In 1926 and 1927, the Pelham Firemen repeatedly battled a team known as the Ossining All-Stars for bragging rights within Westchester County.  The baseball battles between the two teams were known as "old time feuds" and typically involved thrilling, and surprisingly good, baseball entertainment for very large crowds of spectators.  The local newspaper, The Pelham Sun, carried lengthy and breathless accounts of the games.

During the 1926 season, the two teams were evenly matched.  They played a series of five games against each other during the season.  At the end of the season the two teams played three of those five games as a three-game series.  The Ossining All-Stars won two of the games and, thus, claimed the Westchester County Title.

The storied history of the Pelham Firemen nine is ripe for telling and is now the subject of research so it can be told in detail as part of Pelham lore! 

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"Ossining All Stars To Battle Firemen
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Old time feuds will be resumed again Sunday when the Pelham Firemen nine journey to Ossining to meet the Ossining All-Stars.  During last season, these two teams met no less than five times, and each contest proved to be a thriller.  In the final three game series, Ossining claimed the County title by virtue of their wins in the majority of the games in this series.

This season the contests should prove equal in every respect to the exciting exhibitions staged by these teams last year.  Manager Bill Broege will have Lohman ready for action on the firing line, having fully recovered from his accident at Mt. Kisco last Sunday.  Should these teams prove as evenly matched as last season, no doubt there will be another series staged.

On Memorial Day, the 'Smokeaters' will travel to Ridgefield, Conn. where they will meet the A. C. nine of that town.  Another hard battle is expected."

Source:  Ossining All Stars To Battle Firemen, The Pelham Sun, May 27, 1927, p. 14, col. 3. 

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News from the Pelham Press Printed on May 21, 1897

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During the late 1920s, the Village of North Pelham Historian, J. Gardner Minard, pulled out old copies of the Pelham Press that he published in the late 1890s and made them available to The Pelham Sun which, thankfully, reprinted news from those early newspapers.  In 1927, The Pelham Sun periodically reprinted the news from 1897 in a column titled "Pelham 30 Years Ago."  

Today these periodic news vignettes provide a fascinating glimpse of life in Pelham at the very end of the 19th century.  For example, on May 27, 1927, The Pelham Sun published news from the May 21, 1897 issue of the Pelham Press.  Today's Historic Pelham article highlights some of the more significant news of that day and transcribes the text as printed by The Pelham Sun, followed by a citation and link to its source.

The news of the Pelham Press made a brief reference to a fascinating piece of Pelham history.  In 1896, the tiny settlement of Pelham Heights with only a handful of residents stole a march on the adjacent settlement of Pelhamville and obtained special legislation authorizing it to incorporate as the smallest village in the State of New York.  When Pelham Heights incorporated, it co-opted the name "Pelham" and had its village boundaries set to include ALL of the New Haven main line railroad properties including the railroad station within the new Village of Pelham.  To the shock and dismay of Pelhamville residents, the long-time name of the railroad station, "Pelhamville Station," was scrapped and the station was renamed "Pelham Station."  For more, see:

Fri., Apr. 15, 2005:   How Pelhamville "Lost" Its Name!  

Tue., July 01, 2014:   Why Do We Call It the Village of Pelham Instead of Pelhamville? Because We Were Duped! 

Mon., Sep. 29, 2014:  The Heights Tells North Pelham: So What if We Pulled a Fast One and Renamed the Train Station? Get Over It! 

Thu., Oct. 05, 2017:  North Pelham Officials Wouldn't Let it Go: 1906 Resurrection of the Fight Over Naming the Train Station.

Shortly after the Village of Pelham was incorporated in 1896, Pelhamville incorporated as the "Village of North Pelham."  There was a deafening outcry in North Pelham over not only the co-opting of the Pelham name by the handful of residents who lived in Pelham Heights, but also the fact that the valuable New Haven line properties including the renamed railroad station were included within the Village of Pelham, thus giving that tiny village substantial property tax revenue paid by the New Haven railroad.  

Pelham Heights would not relent on being renamed, but in 1897 it relented on the placement of its northern boundary.  The Village of Pelham agreed to move the boundary to the center line of the New Haven main line railroad tracks, thus placing the railroad station within the boundaries of the new Village of North Pelham.  According to the Pelham Press:

"The village of Pelham has ceded to the village of North Pelham one-half of the property of the New Haven Railroad Company, including the downtown station.  When the village of Pelham was incorporated last year the entire railroad property was included within its boundaries.  This gave the village a valuable bit of good taxable property."

The Pelham Press of May 21, 1897 also notes that in May, 1897 "A new drinking fountain [was] placed at the corner of Fifth avenue and Fourth street for horses and animals.  This is one of the only known references to the horse fountain that once stood at the intersection of Fifth Avenue and Lincoln Avenue (known as Fourth Street in 1897).  There are no known images of the North Pelham horse fountain, unlike the horse fountain that once stood at the intersection of Boston Post Road and Esplanade in Pelham Manor.  See:

Wed., Jun. 22, 2016:  1904 Newspaper Photograph of Pelham Manor Horse Fountain on Boston Post Road.

Fri., Aug. 15, 2014:   The Old Horse Fountain on Boston Post Road at the Esplanade.   

Thu., Nov. 05, 2015:   The Earliest Days of the Automobile in Pelham.  

Tue., Dec. 30, 2014:   Article from April 23, 1910 Issue of The Pellham Sun. 

 "Fountain and Esplanade.  Pelham Manor, N. Y."

Undated Postcard View of the Horse Fountain at

Esplanade and Boston Post Road, Circa 1910.

NOTE:  Click on Image to Enlarge.

News from the May 21, 1897 Pelham Press also confirms another important fact of life in late 19th century Pelhamville and the early days of the Village of North Pelham.  There was no local hospital.  Thus, Lyman's Pharmacy at the corner of Fifth Avenue and First Street often served as a makeshift emergency care center.  

For example, during a baseball practice game held on the baseball diamond that once stood along today's Lincoln Avenue on Monday, May 17, 1927, Pelhamite Harry Patters sprained his ankle badly.  He was carried to Lyman's Pharmacy where he was treated for the injury.  Barely a year later, Harry Patterson was dead -- Pelham's only casualty during the Spanish-American War that raged briefly from April 21, 1898 until August 13, 1898.

1910 Postcard View of One Fifth Avenue, the Lyman Pharmacy

and U.S. Post Office, Designed by Architect Arthur G. C. Fletcher.

NOTE:  Click on Image to Enlarge.

The same Pelham Press article also highlights an issue that seems quaint and odd in modern Pelham.  For many, many years, children who attended school where today's Hutchinson Elementary School now stands had to go to a well for a fresh drink during the school day.  The well is referenced in a number of sources.  According to one reference, it was dug in 1874:

"In 1874 a well was sunk at the foot of the stone steps leading up the hill to the school. Previous to this time two boys were usually sent for a pail of water. They would sometimes take this opportunity to waste a couple of hours of precious time."

Source:  Montgomery, William R., "THE OLD SCHOOL HOUSE ON THE HILL PELHAMVILLE" (undated typewritten manuscript in collections of The Office of The Historian of The Town of Pelham).

By 1897, with water being piped to local households, such wells were unnecessary and dangerous.  Thus, according to the Pelham Press, in late May of that year the Board of Trustees of the Village of North Pelham ordered that the well be filled, which it was.

The text from the Pelham Press of May 21, 1897 contains a number of additional fascinating references to life in late 19th century Pelham.  It makes wonderful reading for students of Pelham History and appears below.

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"PELHAM 30 YEARS AGO
(Pelham Press, May 21, 1897.)
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The annual spring games of the New York Athletic Club are scheduled for June 5th.

The Pelham A. C. will cross bats with the North Sides of New Rochelle on Memorial Day.  Each team has scored a victory and this game will take place in New Rochelle will be for blood.

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The initial number of the Pelham Record made its appearance May 14.  We welcome our little brother.

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A new drinking fountain has been placed at the corner of Fifth avenue and Fourth street for horses and animals.  

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The old open well which stands in the lot opposite the North Pelham school has been filled in.  It was considered dangerous and the filling in was ordered by the North Pelham trustees.

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Mr. and Mrs. Pedro P. de Arozarena of Pelhamdale avenue, Pelham Heights, are sailing for Europe next week for an indefinite stay.

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At the regular meeting of the North Pelham trustees held at the Town Hall, Tuesday night, two bills were laid over because they were not made out on village bill heads.  Former tax collector, William Edinger, was present and asked that his bondsmen be released, which was granted.  The monthly report of the village treasurer was received but as it showed an unaccountable shortage the board held a recess to straighten it out.

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James Gillen, 13, of Mount Vernon was the first victim of the bicycle ordinance.  He had just bought a new wheel and was trying it out on the North Pelham sidewalks when Constable Marks arrested him.  Brought before Judge Lyon, the court did not take the offense so seriously and suspended sentence.

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Walter J. Moye, son of Mr. and Mrs. Richard J. Moye of Second avenue, met with a painful accident last Saturday.  While chopping wood a piece struck him in the eye impairing the sight.

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Times are pretty hard when a man will stoop so low to steal a tie rope, but that is what happened to Dr. Charles A. Barker last Saturday night.  He left his horse hitched outside his gate while he went inside and when he came out the animal was loose and the rope missing.  It was fortunate he came when he did as the animal is a fiery animal and has run away several times.

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Nathan Jacobs, a peddler, residing at 87 Clinton street, New York City was tried before Judge Lyon Monday night on a charge of disorderly conduct.  He was selling writing paper and matches and called at the blacksmith shop of James Reilly.  Mr. Reilly bought some paper from him and finding he had no license, gave him a friendly warning that the constable would get him.  His reply was a lot of indecent language and Reilly ordered Constable Marks to arrest him.  He was locked up and when arraigned before Judge Lyon was very repentant and wept copiously and the court suspended sentence with a warning.

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During a practice game on the diamond on Fourth street, Monday, Harry Patterson sprained his ankle badly and was brought to Lyman's drug store where it was attended to.  It will be some time before he can use it again.

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A grand missionary service will be held at St. Catherine's [sic] Church, Sunday, May 23, at 7:30 p.m.  Father Godfrey, the famous missionary, will conduct the service.

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Mrs. Emily Fauret, of Fourth street, met with an accident last Friday.  While in Skinner's store in Mount Vernon, she was descending the stairs from the second floor when her heel caught in the rubber mat and she fell down the flight to the first floor.  She suffered only from shock and minor bruises.

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What might have been a serious accident occurred at the North Pelham school last Monday.  The pupils were being marched from the first to the second floor when suddenly the floor settled at the side about six inches.  The coolness of the teachers averted a panic among the pupils.

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On Thursday, May 20th, Mrs. Minna E. Raisbeck of Pelham Heights and John Butler of New York City were married at the First Reformed Episcopal Church, New York City, by the Rev. George W. Huntington.  Mr. and Mrs. Butler will make their home in Pelham Heights.

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The village of Pelham has ceded to the village of North Pelham one-half of the property of the New Haven Railroad Company, including the downtown station.  When the village of Pelham was incorporated last year the entire railroad property was included within its boundaries.  This gave the village a valuable bit of good taxable property."

Source:   PELHAM 30 YEARS AGO (Pelham Press, May 21, 1897.), The Pelham Sun, May 27, 1927, Vol. 18, No. 13, p. 14, cols. 1-3.

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Famed Pelham Athlete Bob Cremins Made the Boston Red Sox Team in 1927

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He knew he was ready.  He looked sharp that evening during the twilight baseball game at City Park in New Rochelle.  He was Bob Cremins, famed local athlete and talented pitcher for the Pelham Firemen baseball team.  That evening he faced the New Rochelle Elks and held them to five hits and a single run in a strong 7 to 1 victory for the Pelham Firemen.  Yes, he was ready.

After the victory, Cremins packed his bags.  The next morning, he departed for Boston.  He knew he was good enough to make the Boston Red Sox.  It was time to try out for the team and show Pelham -- and the world -- he was good enough. 

Local baseball was a big deal in Pelham during the Roaring Twenties.  Bob Cremins, an exceptional multi-sport local athlete, was a big deal in local baseball.  Born in Pelham Manor on February 15, 1906, Cremins batted left and threw as a lefty.  He was 5 feet 11 inches tall and reportedly weighed 178 pounds when he tried out for the Boston Red Sox during the 1927.

Robert Anthony "Bob" Cremins, who lived virtually his entire life in Pelham, was a four-letter athlete in high school.  He attended the Grand Central Art School and became a cartoonist for the Philadelphia Evening Bulletin.  He was elected Town of Pelham Receiver of Taxes in 1932 and held that position for 32 years until 1964.  In 1964 he was elected Pelham Town Supervisor and served on the Westchester County Board of Supervisors.  He managed a boxing gym and a schooner sailing business on Long Island Sound.  He died on March 27, 2004 at the age of 98 and was buried on Tuesday, March 30, 2004 following a funeral at St. Catharine's in the Village of Pelham.  

It turned out that when he departed for Boston on that fateful day in 1927, Bob Cremins was indeed ready for the Big Show.  Though the Boston Red Sox team that year has since been described as "talent starved," Bob Cremins made the team as a relief pitcher.  As the New York Daily News noted in his obituary published March 31, 2004, the first batter he reportedly faced in the majors was no other than Babe Ruth of the New York Yankees.  Cremins forced him to ground out to the first baseman.  During his stint in the Majors, he was known as "Crooked Arm Cremins."

In a superb article about Cremins by Bill Nowlin published by the Society For American Baseball Research, Nowlin quotes Cremins from an interview regarding how he made it the Majors:

"Our parish priest knew the Boston Red Sox manager, Bill Carrigan, so in 1927 he told me to go see him and ask him for a job. So, I took the train to Yankee Stadium where the Red Sox were playing that week, but I lost my nerve and I came home.

When I confessed my fear to my brother he said, 'You go back tomorrow. Don’t come home until you get the tryout, or I’ll beat you up!'

The next day I went back down and I met the manager [Bill] Carrigan as he was going in to the stadium. I asked him for a tryout and he said, 'No way.' And I said 'Look, my parish priest sent me down here to talk to you. You know him. He said you would give me a tryout.'

He finally gave in and said, 'Do you have your uniform? Go put it on.' Since I had my baseball uniform from the fire department team in Pelham, I was ready to go. 'I pitched batting practice that day and I must have impressed them because after batting practice they said that they would sign me up after they got back to Boston. I was so excited, but I didn’t drink to celebrate that night. I have never smoked and I only took five cups of coffee in my whole life. I went to Boston and they signed me up right off the bus and I pitched batting practice every day.

Then one day we were playing the Yankees and we were behind 13-1. Carrigan asked for a volunteer to go in and pitch and I said, 'I do.'

He said, 'Warm up because I’m going to put you in.' 

'I had been pitching batting practice that day so I went down to the bullpen and tried to get myself warmed up. So I went in at the eighth inning and who comes up [in the ninth] but Babe Ruth.

Our catcher signaled for a fastball and my first pitch was low. The catcher came out and said, 'God damn it, Cremins, I signaled for a fast ball!'

I said, 'I’m throwing it as hard as I can.'

I don’t remember what I threw next, but I know I was just trying to reach the plate. The second pitch Ruth grounded out to first base.

Then Gehrig came up. He hit a bullet to center field and it went between the hands of the outfielder and they gave Gehrig a two-base hit, but it was really an error.

I finally retired the side and the next day a sports writer wrote, 'The thing you can say about Cremins is that he is the only one to get the Yankees out.'

Source:   Nowlin, Bill, Bob Cremins, Society For American Baseball Research SABR.org (visited Jan. 27, 2018).

Bob Cremins had a rather brief career in the majors.  His Major League debut was August 17, 1927.  He faced only 24 batters in the Majors before he injured his arm and quit the Red Sox in 1928.  His baseball career has been described thusly:

"In four relief appearances, Cremins posted a 5.04 earned run average without a decision in 5 1/3 innings pitched.  According to Baseball Almanac, Cremins faced Babe Ruth once and retired him on a grounder to first base.  His career ended in 1928 due to an arm injury."

Source:  "Bob Cremins" in Wikipedia -- The Free Encyclopedia (visited Jan. 27, 2018). 

 

"BOB CREMINS  Pitcher of the Pelham Firemen's Team who left

Pelham on Tuesday for Boston to join the squad of the Boston Red

Sox.  Source:   Cremins and Lohman Leave Firemen For Higher Circuit

-- Bob Cremins Goes to Boston For Tryout With Red Sox and Ed.

Lohman Leaves For Buffalo to Join Havana Cubans, The Pelham

Sun, Jul. 29, 1927, Vol. 18, No. 23, p. 12, col. 3.  NOTE:  Click on

Image to Enlarge.

 

Detail from Photograph of Bob Cremins Available Via SABR.org.

NOTE:  Click on Image to Enlarge.

*          *          *          *          *

"Cremins and Lohman Leave Firemen For Higher Circuits
-----
Bob Cremins Goes to Boston For Tryout With Red Sox and Ed. Lohman Leaves For Buffalo to Join Havana Cubans
-----

Following the twilight game against the New Rochelle Elks at City Park, Monday evening, which he won 7-1, allowing the antlered tribe but 5 hits, Bob Cremins packed up bag and baggage and departed for Boston where he will make an attempt to break into the big league circles with the Boston Red Sox.  Always a favorite with the baseball fans of Pelham, more so since he has aided the firemen nine to a number of victories, Bob has the well wishing of all the sport fans of Pelham in his latest venture.

'Cannonball' Ed Lohman also has left the fold of Broege, Zernoski and Company, to travel in faster company, that of the Havana Cubans.  Lohman left Sunday night for Buffalo where he will join the Cubans who are a touring nine playing all over the country."

Source:   Cremins and Lohman Leave Firemen For Higher Circuits -- Bob Cremins Goes to Boston For Tryout With Red Sox and Ed. Lohman Leaves For Buffalo to Join Havana Cubans, The Pelham Sun, Jul. 29, 1927, Vol. 18, No. 23, p. 12, col. 3.

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